Chapter 11. Devil Mode.

Ashkaris lost his way while going to the throne room, and now he was standing face to face with Zephyrokron, the powerhouse of the Chimerid army.

"So we meet again, devil," Zephyrokron said to Ashkaris. Without answering or saying a word, Ashkaris took his fighting position, ready to strike Zephyrokron at any moment.

Zephyrokron swung his battle axe at Ashkaris and simultaneously cast air magic. Ashkaris created a flame wall to block them, but the air magic made it ineffective. He had to quickly block Zephyrokron's battle axe with Pyrrohs' Fang, his legendary sword.

The clash between Zephyrokron's battle axe and Pyrrohs' Fang was so loud that any soldier in the Palace could hear it.

Meanwhile, the Shadow Reapers encountered the vice-commander of the Chimerid army, the one who worked directly under Zephyrokron, and was known as the strongest vice commander.

The vice commander attacked Lilithra, but his strike was blocked by Indraksha. At the same moment, Kharos summoned his dark dagger and attacked the vice commander from behind. However, the vice commander used his ice magic to form a protective ice layer on his back, preventing any damage.

Nyxara summoned her mage and used them to cast the blue flare magic to break the ice layer, but nothing happened. The ice layer neutralized the blue flare magic with its extreme cold before it could even touch it.

But just then, they heard the clash between Zephyrokron's battle axe and Pyrrohs' Fang. From the sound of the clash, they realized that Ashkaris was fighting Zephyrokron, and they knew that Ashkaris couldn't defeat Zephyrokron alone.

Now, they had two big problems: Ashkaris's potential death and the vice commander of Zephyrokron.

Kharos ordered Ignis to go to Commander Ashkaris, but Ignis refused. In response, Nyxara said to Ignis, "We are a team, and as a teammate, you have to trust us. We will take down this monster. You must go to Commander Ashkaris. You're the only one who understands his attack patterns and can coordinate with him. You've trained with him for the past two months."

Everyone agreed with Nyxara, and the only thing Ignis said was, "I will kill you all if even one of you dies," before heading to Ashkaris.

Kharos said, "Now, let's think of how we can take down this monster," and just as he finished speaking, the vice commander summoned a hammer and swung it at the Shadow Reapers, knocking them far away. The vice commander then used his ice magic to create traps all around Lilithra, ensuring no one except him could approach her. He also summoned a spear and tried to pierce Lilithra's heart, but before it could touch her, the spear was shattered by an ice battle axe—Indraksha's battle axe.

Lilithra said to Indraksha, "What are you doing? You could have died from those traps!"

Indraksha replied, "You haven't even given me the 'reward,' and you think I'll let you die?"

Indraksha's ice element rivaled that of the vice commander, and he whispered, "Devil form 1: Ice Devil." Immediately, his body transformed into an ice devil, a form he had achieved after intense training in the last two months.

Indraksha's speed increased tenfold in this form. The vice commander, a dual-elemental, summoned an acid fist and tried to punch Indraksha, but before it could hit, Kharos bound the vice commander's hand with dark chains and Indraksha severed the hand.

The vice commander went into a frenzy, transforming into something grotesque. His severed hand regenerated into a centipede-like appendage, and he vomited numerous tiny chimerids, now resembling an insect made from the DNA of various insects.

The tiny chimerids attacked the Shadow Reapers but were blocked by the Onyx Berserkers, whose leader said to the Shadow Reapers, "We owe you from the first battle with the Chimerids, and now it's time to pay you back. Let us handle these tiny insects, and you focus on that filthy beast."

Lilithra used her succubus magic to weaken the vice commander, while Nyxara summoned a lion-like beast from the world of the dead to attack him. The lion overpowered the vice commander but was thrown back in an instant. That one second was all Indraksha and Kharos needed. Using their magic, they severed both of the vice commander's legs. As the vice commander fell, Lilithra summoned her Lust Scythe and beheaded him.

Ignis had now arrived at the place where Ashkaris and Zephyrokron were battling. He saw that Zephyrokron had cornered Ashkaris, summoning elite Chimerid soldiers to help him.

Zephyrokron grabbed one of Ashkaris's arms and swung his battle axe to sever it, but before the axe could touch Ashkaris, Zephyrokron's palm was sliced by Hellfire of the Abyss, summoned by Ignis.

Ashkaris was shocked to see Ignis and asked, "What are you doing here?" Ignis responded that he was there to help Ashkaris. But before they could continue, the elite Chimerids attacked Ignis. In an instant, Ignis turned them to ashes with his magic, Inferno.

Ashkaris allowed him to fight alongside him, realizing that Zephyrokron was a monster he couldn't defeat alone. He also warned Ignis to never let his guard down, not even for a second.

The battle began. Zephyrokron attacked Ignis with his sword, but Ignis blocked it with Pyrrohs' Fang. Ignis enchanted his fist with fire magic and struck Zephyrokron. The impact sent Zephyrokron flying back. With Hellfire, Ignis and Pyrrohs' Fang, Ashkaris charged at Zephyrokron. To any onlooker, it would seem as though two crimson lights were fighting a green light, moving so fast that it was impossible to track their movements with the naked eye.

Zephyrokron summoned Ghidorah, an electric dragon, using his staff, and launched it at Ashkaris. In response, Ashkaris summoned Fenrir, a wolf-like beast made of flames that burned as hot as the sun. The clash between Ghidorah and Fenrir created an explosion that threw everyone back.

Before Ashkaris could even open his eyes, Zephyrokron was in front of him. When Ashkaris opened his eyes again, Zephyrokron's battle axe was mere inches from his face. But before it could touch him, Zephyrokron's hand was severed by a crimson light—Ignis had cut it off.

As Ignis stood before Ashkaris, covering his face with his left hand, he whispered, "Devil mode 1: The Horns." His appearance shifted: horns sprouted from his head, his clothes were replaced by robes made of crimson flames, and his eyes turned a fiery red. Everything around him started to melt from the heat.

Devils with fire as their element typically don't have horns, wings, or tails, but can achieve them through hard work and unlocking their Devil Modes.

Ashkaris stared at Ignis in shock. "I never thought I'd see someone using this power."

Now, Ashkaris and Ignis were on equal footing with Zephyrokron. Ignis's speed and agility surpassed that of the Chimerid commander. Zephyrokron's regeneration magic had been blocked by Ignis's hellfire strike that had severed his arm.

Before Zephyrokron could summon more elite Chimerid soldiers using his grimoire, Ignis used his speed and hellfire to cut the grimoire in half.

For the first time in his life, Zephyrokron felt fear.

Ashkaris, too, was stunned. He had never been able to make Zephyrokron feel fear, nor had he ever cornered him.

But Ashkaris's moment of triumph was short-lived, for Zephyrokron spoke a single word that froze him in his tracks: "Mezung."

The Chimerid race could manipulate their DNA to achieve unparalleled strength. After being blessed by the Aetherians, their progress was unmatched by any other race in the universe.

Zephyrokron's strength, mana, speed, and defense were now greater than the combined strength of Ignis and Ashkaris.

Ashkaris felt a wave of fear, but Ignis spoke to him, saying, "Commander, we are here to win. We can't be scared of this filthy insect. Stand up. Let's show this filthy insect what Nethralians can do."

These words were enough to rally Ashkaris, who stood tall and said, "Yeah, let's show him what we can do together."

Ashkaris summoned Fenrir again and commanded it to relentlessly attack Zephyrokron.

Zephyrokron didn't understand Ashkaris's strategy but began blocking Fenrir's attacks. With a single swipe of his battle axe, Zephyrokron destroyed Fenrir, but this was exactly what Ashkaris wanted. Despite Zephyrokron's increased speed, Ashkaris and Ignis weren't out of the fight. Ignis moved behind Zephyrokron and unleashed his ultimate move, The Afterworld Hellfire, slicing Zephyrokron in half.

Ashkaris knew that Zephyrokron's regeneration ability would return after this power boost, so he summoned the true Fenrir—the beast he had obtained after becoming an elite. Together with his real crimson Fenrir, Ashkaris launched his ultimate attack, "The Burning Flare Fang."

Every being has a core, known as the soul, and if that core is destroyed, the being will die. These cores can be used to strengthen someone's power, but only once. The stronger the wielder, the more power the core provides.

The Burning Flare Fang sliced everything around it into infinite pieces, except for the user's companion. The area surrounding Zephyrokron was cut into pieces, and Zephyrokron's core became visible. Ashkaris had exhausted his mana and Fenrir was not in a condition to attack anymore, but...

a voice echoed, "Abyss Flame," and Zephyrokron's core was turned to ashes. The one who had spoken was none other than the Demon, Ignis.